Giving focus to the Cultural, Scientific and Social Dimension of EU - CELAC relations

Hot Topics

The Hot Topics web conferences, are organized within the framework of the EU LAC Focus project with the aim to contribute by: discussing emerging research topics of the project, defining fields of action for the renewal of the dimensions, supporting the dialogue of cross-cutting topics, attracting new actors, fostering the alignment of the consortium partners, and disseminating the project activities and results.

The road to a common language, EULAC FOCUS Project’s First Web conference on Research Infrastructures

Date: 13th June 2017, 16:00 Brussels time.Duration: 2 hours maxLocation: To be announced

Rationale

The fifth Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Science and Technology of the EU-CELAC Joint Initiative on Research and Innovation (JIRI) from 14 March 2016 confirmed the need to ensure a strategic regional partnership in research and innovation through the development of the EU-CELAC Common Research Area. Senior officials committed towards the research infrastructures dimension as one of the three strategic pillars of this Common Research Area (CRA).

Therefore the European Commission is setting up, in order to enable a structured dialogue on research infrastructures the establishment of a bi-regional Working Group on Research Infrastructures (WG RI), which would support policy making in the RI dimension and would facilitate multilateral initiatives leading to a better use and development of research infrastructures amongst the two regions.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the Common Research Area, the specific objectives of the WG RI are to:

Exchange of information on national and regional, EU and CELAC RI policies and on the respective medium to long term RI development planning;

Therefore the EU LAC Focus Project will support this Working Group by organizing the first web conference on bi-regional dialogue on research infrastructures.

Departure point

In advance to the EU-CELAC SOM 2017 there was a survey among CELAC countries concerning the status quo of research infrastructures in their countries. It is visible when comparing the different answers that there is a great divergence in the level of consideration of the national policies regarding this topic. The lack of coordination and alignment among CELAC countries hinder the connection to initiatives of regional impact from other regions (as e.g. ESFRI).

Therefore, during the EU-CELAC SOM 2017, a CELAC working group on Research Infrastructures was established with the objective to ensure bi-regional policy coordination and sharing of good practices in policy development and mapping of research infrastructures. In order to start a structured dialogue about RI policies, it would be interesting to first get an impression on the national level – the national policy development procedures, key national and regional actors, funding, national strategies etc. The idea is to contribute with the identification of these different countries capacities, in order to add a better understanding on their capability to connect and join with other countries in national, regional and multinational initiatives.

In a similar concept, in January 2017, the European project InRoad started with the objective to contribute to a better harmonization and synchronization of priority-setting, funding evaluation and life-cycle management of EU Research Infrastructures (RI) at European and national level (regional dimension will be integrated through smart specialization strategies). In concrete terms:

The identification and dissemination of best-practices and common trends of national RI road mapping procedures and of ex-ante, interim (monitoring) and ex-post evaluation of RI in Europe.

The establishment of a trustful dialogue and an intensive exchange of information about national RI road mapping procedures, RI monitoring and evaluation and sustainable approaches for RI, in line with the objectives laid out in the European Research Area communication.

Agenda

16:00-16:10

Welcome, presentation & expected impact for the first web conference

Moderator: Ms Mónica Silenzi

16:10-16:30

Presentation about RI SOM Working Group and CELAC’s expected outcome of this group, challenges etc.

Speaker: Fernando Amestoy, Polo Tecnológico de Pando, Uruguay.

16:30-16:50

Presentation of the programme, expected outcome of the project and lessons learnt.

Speaker: Gerd Rücker

16:50-17:10

Presentation about the ESFRI strategy, possible synergies with on the STI Biregional policy dialogue.

Speaker: Margarida Ribeiro (TBC)

17:10 -17:40

Discussion between the speakers and tour de table to the European & CELAC participants